The Virgin Rainbow
by SallyCarefree
Summary: There is another precious gem stone and Neal Caffrey isn't the only one who wants to steal it. Going to New York, taking on a fresh challenge... He couldn't resist. But then, the con man finds himself in a dire situation without seeing it coming. Sara and Peter need to come to his rescue. Neal Whump in this story.
1. Chapter 1

Story is set a few month after my last story The necklace of the Maharani of Baroda. But you don't really need to read that one first to enjoy the Virgin Rainbow.

I hope you'll enjoy it anyway

* * *

Peter Burke was surprised when he met Sara Ellis in the lobby of the White Collar offices. A probie had announced her visit a few minutes ago. So he came down from his office to greet her. However, they haven't arranged a meeting or even talked for months. The FBI agent was curious. "Sara, what a surprise! How are you? I hope everything is going well!"

The insurance investigator was dressed in her usual classy business attire, looking ever so professional. She forced a smile. "Hi, Peter. I'm fine. I just came by. So I thought to pop in for a quick chat."

This wasn't a very convincing performance. She looked distracted, even worried in fact. Peter wondered what was going on. As far as he could tell she wasn't the type to pay social calls; plus it was highly unlikely that she has been in the area. "Aha... Wanna join me for a coffee in the lounge?"

Sara was hesitant with her reply. She seemed to be indecisive. Actually, this morning she finally decided that she couldn't sit and wait any longer. She needed to seek help. Peter Burke was the first - and quite frankly only - name that came to her mind. She didn't know if he would help or have a throw, through. The news would be very unsettling for him. She couldn't predict his reaction.

As such, she had second thoughts whether to turn around and leave or actually enlist Peter's support. Taking a deep breath, she made up her mind. Neal would want her to confide in the FBI agent. "No coffee, thanks. Frankly speaking, I would actually like to talk to you in private. Perhaps, we can go to your office?"

The ASAC led her to his office, closed the door, and offered her a seat. Sara didn't know how to start. Quite contrary to her normal composure, she struggled for words. "It's difficult... There is... You know... How should I start... It's about..."

She finished none of the sentences but rather left them hanging in the air. Peter got an uneasy feeling he might know what she was about to tell him. "This is about Neal. Is he in trouble!?"

Sara stared at him in shock. "You know he wasn't killed by Keller?"

Peter nodded. 'Not right from the start. I was devastated at first. When Neal let me know that he didn't die, I was relieved and glad. Neal Caffrey's greatest con … I should have been angry for putting us through this. Yet, I was just happy that he was alive. We even met once, here in New York. What did he do now?"

The agent understood at once the size of the problems ahead when Sara just said, "Well, I hope he still is, alive, I mean..." before she broke into tears.

She fished an envelope out of her purse, put it on the table, and slid it over to Peter. "Look at this!"

Used to sobbing witnesses or emotional suspects, the agent remained calm even though the outburst worried him profoundly. He picked up the envelope and found a photo inside. It showed a face with many bruises, nose apparently broken, a laceration at the brow as well as blood-stained hair. The victim's face was very pale, his eyes closed. Neal's eyes were closed.

Peter was appalled. This was an alarming sight. Based on his experience, he reckoned the injuries were serious and needed treatment. However, his professional instincts kicked in, helping him to act prudent and to keep a cool head. His voice remained steady, void of any emotion – contrary to his inner turmoil. "Tell me what happened! Don't skip any details! Everything might be an important piece of information."

The redhead needed a few moments to regain her composure. Eventually, she was calm enough to brief Peter on the course of events that led to disaster. "It's complicated. Everything started with the Virgin Rainbow..."

* * *

AN:  
Please stay tuned, next chapter will be posted soon.  
Beta reading volunteers for future chapters are welcome, and reviews are appreciated dear White Collar readers :)


	2. Chapter 2

Sara needed a few moments to regain her composure. Eventually, she was calm enough to brief Peter on the course of events that led to disaster. "It's complicated. Everything started with the Virgin Rainbow..."

The 'Virgin Rainbow' was one of the world's rarest and most expensive opals. This opal exhibited incredible fluorescence with a rainbow of different colors that made the opal so distinctly unique. It was worth over $1 million and now owned by a museum in Australia.

The opal seemed to glow in the dark - the darker the light, the more color came out of it. It was unbelievable. It imparted a rainbow of colors, from milky white, to red, orange, yellow, green, blue, pink, black.

The opal was found in 2003 but it came to fame almost overnight. Based on its beauty and value, media featured many stories about the gem.

The museum of Adelaide has agreed to send the Virgin Rainbow to New York for an exhibition that was hosted by the Australian Gem Trading Association. The exhibition was part of a marketing campaign in order to capture the US market.

Many valuable and astonishing gemstones would be shown for 2 weeks in May this year. Entrance to the exhibition would only be granted by invite. Jewelers all over the country were pulling strings to get one of the highly coveted invites.

The total value of the gemstones on display was somewhere around $50 million. The Virgin Rainbow was the stone with the highest single value, though.

Preparations were all underway to set up everything. The exhibition would be hosted in the Australian Consulate. Security means had to be upgraded and a lot of precautions be taken to protect the valuable items.

The exhibits were insured by Sterling Bosch. This is where Sara came in. While chatting to Neal on the phone she mentioned the exhibition. As soon as he heard about it, he got excited like a child on Christmas morning. "The Virgin Rainbow? That's incredible! It's supposed to be literally glowing in the dark with colors sparkling like a rainbow. A very expensive rainbow, of course. Shouldn't you check the security installation up front? Imagine, if the gems get stolen... So many unprocessed gems at one place are most certainly attracting some unwanted attention."

Actually, Sara had already planned to send someone from her team to look into the security set-up. She had no intentions, though, to get her old friend involved because he wasn't supposed to come over to New York again, ever.

While talking to him on the phone, however, she came up with the idea that he could actually probe into the security processes from a different angle. Rather than running a standard security check, he should work on a plan to steal the exhibits. If he'd find a feasible way to obtain the gems, a real criminal could do the same.

Caffrey would only be in the city for a few days. It'd be fun meeting Neal again and mitigate the insurance risk at the same time. Killing two birds with one stone.

Only after they ended the call, she started to wonder if she really came up with the idea or if Caffrey had planted it in her mind. Whatever! She liked the idea anyhow.

Three weeks prior to the opening of the exhibition, he came to New York disguised as Josh Gardener, consultant of the GAA, Gemmological Association of Australia.

The ex-con has spent two weeks in Australia, looking into the gemstone business in general, gathering a bit of local information to support his alias background and polishing up his Australian accent.

Of course, he also visited the South Australian Museum in Adelaide to inspect the precious gem. Measuring an amazing 2.5 by 0.56 inches, the Virgin Rainbow Black Opal weighed 72.65 karats and displayed brilliant rolling flash pattern featuring all spectral colors from orange through to violet.

His professional interest was aroused. There was an undeniable temptation to take the centerpiece of the exhibition. He has always been attracted by beautiful objects, all the more when they were spectacular, valuable, and out of reach. However, nowadays he was able to leave the town without stealing the opal – even though, he had spotted at least 3 flaws in the security installation.

He refreshed his knowledge to appraise gemstones, including the latest testing techniques and instruments used. After all, he needed to be a convincing gemmological consultant. Doing anything half-heartedly has never been his cup of tea.

Neal discarded the thought of taking a direct flight to JFK. He had promised Peter that he wouldn't travel to New York and had no intentions of breaking the promise. Landing in Newark meant he traveled to New Jersey. Going from there to Manhattan was commuting, not traveling. So, he flew in from Sydney to Newark with a stopover in Dallas.

When visiting the headquarter of the GAA in Adelaide, he got an idea about the dress code for their employees. Accordingly, Josh Gardener was sporting a scholarly look, ready-made suit, plaid shirt, cheap tie. The hair was a bit longer than usual, slightly tousled. Rimmed glasses completed the outfit.

He hated the feel of the mediocre clothes on this skin and cringed every time he looked into a mirror. Sara, on the contrary, regarded his look as pretty hot. "Caffrey, sandy colors look good on you. Besides, I like your hair!" She couldn't stop ruffling it.

It took all of his skills to get access to the organization committee of the gem exhibition. He has built his cover story with meticulous precision, started weeks in advance to fake emails announcing his visit, forging personal references as well as online profiles on professional platforms.

The con man loved the challenge of this assignment. He entered the consulate with a sense of achievement. As part of the exhibition team, he had access to all the information about the gemstones as well as the organizational details.

Technical insight into security means was not part of his GAA consultancy services as such. Therefore, Neal used his social skills to convince the project manager it would be a good idea for him to set up his desk in her office. Even though she fell for his charms almost immediately, she was keeping all the necessary privacy precautions. He needed a whole day to find out her computer password.

Next, he browsed the security processes and looked into all security-related plans. Caffrey was impressed by the level of security in place. The Australian Gem Trading Association has saved no expenses in getting top-notch equipment with the best experts in preparing the installation.

It took him another three days to find a loophole that was good enough to lay the foundation of a plan to steal the Virgin Rainbow. The only viable option to get access to the exhibits was by becoming part of the inner circle of the team.

A night out at an Australian bar, having a few beers and watching cricket made him one of the mates. Apparently, Josh Gardener went to the same school as the brother-in-law of one of the guys working for the gem trade association. What a coincidence.

Soon, when they had another planning meeting, they decided to increase Josh's level of security clearance in order to enable him helping with the organizational details.

A couple of days later, he was pleased with his own achievements. The day has gone well. Actually, he made a breakthrough discovery he couldn't wait to share with Sara.

He noticed one of the janitors taking an interested look at the content of the paper waste bins - but didn't ascribe much importance to this observation. The con man made a mental note to ask for details about the guy the next day, though.

This proved to be a fundamental misjudgment, putting his life at risk. Neal's gut instinct was usually flawless. Normally, he sensed danger like a cat. He has underestimated a hazard only a couple of times so far. No such luck this time.

His last coffee that evening tasted slightly bitter. But then, what do you expect from cheap office coffee that was kept on the burner for hours?


	3. Chapter 3

The last coffee that evening tasted slightly bitter. But then, what do you expect from cheap office coffee that was kept on the burner for hours?

Neal woke up with a vicious headache, feeling drowsy and dizzy, cuffed to an uncomfortable chair. It didn't take him long to realize someone had spiked his coffee and he was in trouble.

He was locked in a cold windowless room, bare concrete walls, tiled floor, steel door. The ceiling was quite low, probably a room in the basement of an industrial building. There was neon light and a webcam pointed at him.

It didn't take long until his captors turned up. Apparently, they wanted to use him to get hold of the gemstones. The janitor, Stoyan, was one of them. They started interrogating him right away. Neal noticed an Eastern-European accent. Among each other, they talked in a foreign language.

Neal knew enough Romanian to understand the three men were planning to kill him as soon as they got the necessary information and burn his corpse in an industrial oven next door to destroy any evidence thereafter. Actually, he wouldn't be the first human being going down that route. Needless to say, he didn't give away that he was aware of their plans.

Josh Gardener answered evasively to the questions, acting like an Australian GAA delegate who's unwilling to cooperate. After two hours of interrogation, they stopped playing nice but turned rough instead.

One guy, the others called him Stani, grabbed Neal's hair and banged his head down on the table top – twice, with full force. The sudden pain shooting through his nose was excruciating.

Stani also thrust his fist into Neal's face once. Marek, obviously their leader, commanded to stop the beating. He didn't want to risk breaking Neal's jaw so that their captive wouldn't be able to talk anymore.

They suspended the interrogation, leaving him alone in the cold, neon-lit room. Neal spent the night shackled to the uncomfortable chair, no food, no toilet break. He tried to get out of the cuffs but failed. Even dislocating his thumb didn't help to slip out of the rigid cuffs and he had absolutely nothing to use as a key.

In the absence of any means of escape, Caffrey worked out a contingency plan. It was impossible to get out of this dire situation on his own, he needed help. He needed his team.

With all the pain as well as the after-effect of the drugs Neal was dozing off eventually. The morning found him semi-conscious, sore all over from the night spent tied on the chair, the broken nose hurting.

Actually, he was in a pretty bad shape when his captivators returned. He assumed it was the next morning because they looked wrell ested. Apart from that observation, he has lost track of time completely.

The con man tried to stick to his former behavior of refusing cooperation. However, when they started to stub out cigarettes on his lower arm, he decided it was about time to put plan B into action. "Stop it! I tell you everything I know!"

Josh Gardener shared some innocuous facts; nothing that really put the exhibition at risk. Because they had already spied out some details, he couldn't tell them a complete bogus story. The relevant part of his story was made-up, though. "At night when the exhibition is closed, there will be a two-component security system in place. One component is a multimodal biometric security system. You need a valid combination of a fingerprint, iris scan, and voice recognition. I am one of five people having the necessary access rights."

Marek cursed in English as well as Romanian. He told his cronies in Romanian that they mustn't kill the consultant because they needed him alive. Modern biometric security systems were too smart to be fooled by the image of an iris or a recorded voice.

That conclusion was, of course, what Neal has aimed for. His life was safe as long as Marek was convinced Josh Gardener was key to stealing the Virgin Rainbow.

Stani told him in no uncertain terms, "The exhibition opens in 3 days. You will gain us access to the exhibits!"

Neal put on a frightened face. "Okay, okay. But there is another security measure in place. The access is blocked by an RSA secure passcode. No-one who is added to the biometric access list has access to the passcode. It is the two-man rule: No single person can access the vault."

When they started to vent their frustration on him, kicking and punching, he stopped them, "Wait, maybe I know someone who can get us the decoder."

The Australian gem expert obviously struggled to share any further details. Finally, he succumbed. "My girlfriend, Sara, she works for Sterling Bosch. She knows the executives from the Australian Gem Trading Association. She might be able to get the decoding app. Please, you have to promise to leave her alone! You must not hurt her!"

The latter sounded like a plea, yet Neal had no worries that he'd put Sara in any danger. Marek needed Sara on the outside to cooperate. Therefore, it was unlikely that these thugs would cause harm to her. On the other hand, the redhead was no damsel in distress but rather wielding her baton and usually carrying a gun as well.

When Sara Ellis came home from work that evening, she found an envelope with a photo in her mailbox. There was a piece of paper with a short message. 'We will call you. No police!'

Sara was more than shocked looking at the picture, showing Neal as a captive, beaten to pulp. Her stomach turned and she didn't know what to do.

She received a call around 8 pm. Even though the photos has been unsettling, Sara Ellis was still her rational self. She had set up a professional recording device and connected her phone to a sniffer software.

"Your boyfriend needs your help, Miss Ellis. You have to co-operate – if you want to get him back alive!"

Sara showed the expected level of distress, sobbing into the phone. "Where is he? Is he alright? I need to talk to him."

Marek put the phone on loudspeaker and held it out to his captive. "Tell her what to do! This is your only chance, make it count! No funny ideas, Aussie. Otherwise..." He threw a meaningful look to the gun on the table.

The con man chose his words carefully. "Sara? It's me, Josh. I'm alright, well sort of. I'm sorry to put you through this, Cupcake."

Sara smiled. Caffrey wouldn't dare to call her _Cupcake_ if they'd be in the same room. He referred to himself as Josh, his Australian identity. At least, there were no strings to Neal Caffrey's former criminal lifestyle. Moreover, she was relieved to hear him talking coherently.

"Listen, Cupcake. It is quite inconvenient but I need your help to give these mates access to the Virgin Rainbow. We require the RSA decoding device. I remember you talked once about these blokes from the executive board. You mentioned that guy wearing cheap, ill-fitting suits. I don't recall his name right now; you said he was handling everything. You have to contact that handler and get the device from him."

Obviously, Marek thought this was enough talk time. "That's enough, Aussie." The next sound Sara heard was a dull sound, followed by Neal groaning with pain.

Marek demanded that Sara should hand over the device at noon the next day. However, Sara succeeded in buying more time. She convinced him that it would take more time because she wasn't on familiar terms with the guy who possessed the device.

"36 hours is all you get. You will put the device in a waste bin on Friday morning at the Consulate, complete with instructions how to use it. We'll pick it up and you'll better make sure it works."

*** Back at the FBI ***

After listening to the recorded call, Peter Burke was in genuine concern. "I'm wondering in what sort of mess Caffrey got entangled this time. It sounds serious. Sara, I don't assume this is one of Neal's cons to get hold of the gem. He wouldn't put you through this because that's not how he's wired. Do you agree?"

Sara nodded. "Plus, he wouldn't have sent me to you if he was about to commit a crime. He's cheeky but not dumb!"

Peter raised his eyebrows wryly. "You think he talked about me? What gave me away? The cheap, ill-fitting suit or the handler allusion?"

They had a day left to find Neal and save him. The FBI agent was aware that this was a tight schedule. He needed a team to work on this rather than trying to solve the case single-handedly. His friend's life was at stake; so he couldn't take any risks.


	4. Chapter 4

Peter Burke picked 5 of his best agents, people he trusted and who have worked for him for many years. Agents who thought highly of Neal Caffrey back in the day, rather seeing his achievements for the FBI as well as his agreeable personality than the criminal past. Even after all the time, many of them were talking about him affectionately.

The team gathered in the conference room, door closed. Peter started to inform them about the new case, an Australian gem expert who has been kidnapped with the intention to rob the upcoming exhibition of the Virgin Rainbow and other valuable gems. "The missing person is a Caucasian male, about 6 ft tall, dark hair, blue eyes. His current whereabouts is unknown at this time; but we have to be aware that his life is at risk."

Next, he handed out copies of the photos Sara brought, plus a transcript of the phone call.

Agent Jones looked at the picture, stared at Peter, looked at the picture again, mouth wide open and eyes full of confusion. Obviously, he had problems to wrap his mind around the surprising identity of the victim. "Peter? This is..."

His boss cut in. "This is Josh Gardener. GAA Senior Consultant from Brisbane. His experience with valuable objects is quite long and remarkable. But I guess I don't have to tell anyone in this room about _how_ remarkable his skills are... Besides, however we may call our missing person behind closed doors, Josh Gardener is the only name I want to read in any reports, official request forms or written notes. Understood?"

It didn't take the team long to absorb the news. They put up an action plan and assigned tasks in order to find out anything about Neal's current location or the people behind the crime.

Peter wanted to search Neal's belongings to look for hints. It wasn't impossible that the consultant has known the criminals or made any observations the days before the abduction. Furthermore, they had to take fingerprints from the mailbox.

Sara took care no-one followed her on the way to the FBI. Still, they were cautious since her house might be monitored. The agents came disguised as professional cleaners. Both men were clad in uniforms, carrying buckets and mops when they entered the house. What looked like a guy cleaning the front of the house was actually Agent Jones dusting the fingerprints from the mailbox.

Peter shared with Jones what he knew about Neal's fake death as well as Sara's and Neal's relation on the ride to Sara's house. Agent Jones had to admire the extent of Caffrey's con man skills. Jones was quick on the uptake that the sole purpose of the elaborate con was to keep his friends in New York safe from the Panthers. Once they'd rescued the former FBI consultant, Jones was hoping for a night out with Caffrey, sharing a few glasses of good whiskey, catching up on the details of the disappearing act, and learning all the good stories of the past years.

Inside Sara Ellis' home, Peter asked where to look for Caffrey's belongings. He couldn't help smirking when she told him they were to find in the master bedroom. So much for the theory of an all-business relationship!

Unfortunately, searching Caffrey's clothes revealed nothing new, no hint at all. He had to admire Neal's artistic talent, though, when spotting the painting on the wall. There was no doubt about Neal being the painter. It showed a sleeping Sara _au naturel_ wearing nothing else but a sparkling necklace made of diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. Peter chuckled at the sight.

* * *

A few hours later, the FBI team has gathered an encouraging amount of information by putting together lots of facts and details. Analyzing the recording identified voices of three different men in the room, apart from Neal. The man on the phone spoke with an accent that proved his native tongue to be one of the Eastern Romance languages. Thanks to Sara's sniffing software, they could place the origin of the call to a decaying area in Jamaica, Queens. Unfortunately, they used a prepaid mobile phone that was switched off now. It was impossible to detect its current location.

The photo has obviously been taken in a room with concrete walls, low ceilings and a lot of piping on the walls. Most likely the basement of an industrial building.

There were no fingerprints on the envelope but they found several ones on the mailbox. It wasn't surprising to find many fingerprints on a mailbox, but one print matched a record in the FBI database. Stoyan Stefanov was a criminal with a record of brutal robberies and extortion. According to the archived file in the database, he usually worked with a gang of family members. If anything went wrong, he was the fall guy.

Checking the employees at the consulate revealed one of the janitors used a false identity. His address in Brooklyn proved to be non-existent. The guy was expected to show up for work at 4 pm according to the shift schedule. The FBI team geared up to put him under surveillance and follow him home at night.

Three of Sara's neighbors have security cameras installed to protect their properties. The FBI managed to identify the van that delivered the picture at Sara's home. The driver seemed to be a Caucasian, but apart from that, the quality of the footage was too grainy to get a clear face shot. However, they could identify the license plate and have already started to track the plate through different CCTVs all over the city. It was a cumbersome process, though, to pull all the data.

* * *

Meanwhile, Neal felt miserable and increasingly desperate. He was still tied to the chair, the bondage hurt, his muscles hurt, his injuries hurt. To reduce the pain spreading from his ribs Neal sat as upright as possible, although he felt tired, exhausted. He has been allowed to go to the toilet once. Stoyan gave him a small bottle of water a few hours ago, but no food whatsoever. Accordingly, he felt dizzy and sick. After all this time in the neon-lit room, Caffrey had no clue whether he has been here for a day or a week. It most certainly felt like weeks, but he was aware it has been probably only one or two days.

The thugs have left him alone most of the time after his phone call to Sara. Every now and then, he fell into a fitful sleep only to awake with a start half an hour later. Disturbing thoughts were spinning endlessly in his head. How long would it take Peter to find him? Would he come at all? Maybe, the agent was too pissed off by all the trouble Neal has put him through. Maybe, he thought the con man wasn't worth all the hassle. No way! Of course, he would come. Even when annoyed, Peter was trustworthy, reliable, without any doubt a true friend. Peter would never leave him high and dry. How long would it take...

To ease his mind, Caffrey started to enumerate the items on this bucket list: valuables he wanted to steal, forge, or obtain in any other illegal way. He started with A. A was, of course, the amber room. He had to find it first because it had disappeared after WW2 but that was an irrelevant detail he would take care of later.

B was the Begum Blue, a heart shaped diamond, currently owned by a Europe-based diamond trading company. The security in that place was insane, but he'd never been one to decline a challenge.

C... The Crown Jewels, owned by the Queen of England. He had visited the Tower of London quite a few times to spy out security details. It would be a tough piece of work...

This bucket list was just make-believe. He didn't want to steal anything anymore, not really. Yet he had played this mind game for years as relaxation exercise whenever he has been stressed out.

Over the years, some items have changed in the list. Starry Night, for example, the painting by Vincent Van Gogh, has been his S on the list for a while. However, his forgery has been hanging in the MOMA since a few years. So, he needed a new S for the list. He could pick Sara's heart as his new S to steal. Or maybe, Sara has stolen his heart already. Right now, he missed her dreadfully. If you can't get someone out of your head, maybe they are supposed to be there?

* * *

Sara, on the other end of the city, wanted to do more in order to help finding Neal. Yet, there was nothing at all for her to do but waiting impatiently. Peter Burke has sent over one of his agents to keep her company at home. Even though the criminals asked only for the decoding device, Peter didn't take it for granted that they wouldn't change the plan. He won't take any risk of letting Sara being kidnapped as well.

The FBI team was still pursuing different leads. They had managed to isolate background noises in the recorded phone call. It sounded like muffled acoustic noise to a human ear. By using specialized software to analyze the tone and amplify the sub frequency band they could be identified as a subway car rattling over a bridge. So, if Neal was held in a basement room and you could still hear faint subway noises, the building must be close to a subway line.

They had asked the local police in Jamaica to look out for the van but no luck so far. Peter felt increasingly frustrated. They have narrowed down the place where Neal was kept to a few blocks in Queens. Still, they had absolutely no clue which building to search. Sweeping all the houses was no option unless they wanted to tip off the criminals.

Unfortunately, Stoyan Stefanov hasn't turned up to work either but called in sick. Therefore, the plan to follow him home was futile.

* * *

Meanwhile, Neal came up with an idea. When Stani brought him another bottle of water, he took the opportunity to ask a question. "I thought about the exhibition heist... Who is going to open the security gate for you?"

Stani stared at him. "You, of course, dimwit! That's why you're still alive! Of course, we will be with you, but you are the one to open the lock since your biometrical details are needed to do the trick."

The captive looked upset. "Uh-oh!"

His kidnapper seemed to be on the edge, at least his voice sounded threatening and he aimed a vicious knife at Neal's throat. "Any problems with that, Aussie?"

Josh Gardener was obviously intimidated when he stuttered, "My glasses, you know, they broke when you kidnapped me. I'm as blind as a bat without them. I won't be able to open my own front door without my glasses. "

In fact, the glasses were shattered completely. Some shards were still scattered on the floor. Stani ranted and raved. Finally, he called the boss to let him handle the situation.

Marek wasn't amused either. "So, we have to get you new glasses at Walgreens. What strength do you need for your glasses?"

Caffrey put a solemn face on. "It's not that easy. I need special lenses because I suffer from a rare form of astigmatism. It takes usually two weeks to get a new pair of glasses and I need to see an optician to work out the details of the prescription."

The thug towered over the cuffed man on the chair. "So, when your glasses break, you sit 2 weeks at home and do nothing but wait?"

Josh Gardener's bruised face lit up. "No, of course not. I need the glasses for my job. I always carry a spare pair".

Marek wasn't a patient kind of man. Actually, he was about to lose it. "And where are these glasses now? They would come in handy. You might say they would increase your life expectancy dramatically!"

* * *

It was just after 10 pm when Sara received another call. This time the FBI was monitoring the line with Agency equipment. The same man who had called a day ago was on the phone, asking to deliver her boyfriend's spare glasses together with the decryption device.

Sara was truly confused. "What spare glasses? I don't know what you are talking about. Let me speak to Josh!"

They put the call on loudspeaker and allowed their captive to talk. "Hi, Cupcake!"

Sara was just relieved to hear his voice, to have proof he was still alive. "Hi, Honey Bear! How are you?"

Caffrey enacted this phone call because he was expecting the FBI to monitor Sara's phone. If he kept them long enough on the line, they should be able to track the origin of the call. Therefore, he told her elaborately about the broken glasses and that she had to look for the spare ones. He thought they were on the night stand but when Sara searched there, she couldn't find them. Maybe he hadn't unpacked them. She looked in his suitcase.

Apart from the obvious need to draw out the call, Neal loved hearing her voice. It felt comforting; listening to her familiar voice filled him with courage.

The FBI team stared at the computer monitor with nervous anticipation. With the help of high-tech equipment, they would be able to trace the origin of the phone call very precisely. This phone call was exactly what they needed.

Peter Burke was amused to hear Sara calling him _Honey Bear_. Probably her revenge for calling her _Cupcake_. At the same time, he was worried to notice the strain in his friend's voice and a slight slur in his speech.

It felt like an eternity to Peter and Sara. Yet, it took only 90 seconds to locate the position of the mobile phone. The FBI agent in her house gave her the thumbs up to signal she could end the call.

"Here they are. You left them on the window sill, Honey Bear!" She knew the call would end soon. Therefore, she added hurriedly "I miss you!"

Marek repeated the instructions where to place the items for the handover and ended the call without further ado.

Peter wasn't surprised when Sara called moments later. "Where is he held? I'm coming along when you're going to get him."

The FBI Agent talked her out of it, explaining that this was a dangerous operation. He has already sent out the SWAT team and was on his way to join them. So, he promised to bring him home safely and in one piece.


	5. Chapter 5

Peter Burke met the SWAT team a block away from the deserted tire factory where Neal was imprisoned. It was the best SWAT team in the whole NY area, pros in every aspect. Peter took no unnecessary risk when his friend's life was at stake.

The building had 3 different entry doors. All of them have surveillance cams installed, but no guards. The police officers cut the electricity at the junction box in the street. It took them less than 30 seconds to pick the front door locks, enter the factory hall and find the stairway to the basement. The ground floor was deserted. Thermographic cameras showed 3 persons downstairs in one room close to the stairs, plus another one further away.

The team went downstairs without making any noise. Once down in the basement, they identified the room easily where the 3 kidnappers were located. The stun grenade they threw into the room caught all three men completely by surprise. Blinded by the flash of light as well as disturbed by the intensely loud bang they were disoriented and defenseless.

When Marek, Stani and Stoyan were starting to regain sight after 5 seconds, the arrest was already in full swing. Still impaired by the afterimage of the flash as well as suffering from loss of balance, there was almost no resistance – apart from heavy swearing and angry shouting.

Once the criminals were under control and not posing a threat anymore, the SWAT team started to rescue the kidnapped person.

Peter understood that he couldn't go down with the team for the attack. Rather than being a help, he would disturb the well-orchestrated action of the seasoned SWAT team. However, he hurried downstairs as soon as news of the arrest being completed came through the radio. Even though, the procedures stipulated outsiders had to wait for the all-clear signal before they were to enter the crime scene.

Neal didn't look good, his body sunken in the restraints, face ashen and bruised. He hasn't been in the same room where the stun grenade exploded but the loud blast has still hurt his ears. Nevertheless, there was a faint - yet without any doubt mischievous - twinkle in his eyes when he caught sight of his former handler. "Peter, you came for me!"

Probably for the first time in over 24 hours, Peter Burke smiled. "You know that I will always find you! I lost count how many times I have caught you by now. Maybe I should keep an anklet on you. It was much easier to find and rescue you back in the day!"

Together with another FBI agent they freed Neal from the cuffs and supported him while he tried to stand up. After all these hours being immobilized, his muscles cramped. Therefore, he would have slumped to the ground without their support.

There was a bit of commotion on the stairs outside. The FBI agent thought the paramedics were arriving but actually, it was Sara storming downstairs. He heard Agent Jones trying to stop her, sounding quite frustrated. "Sara, you can't go in there. It is an FBI operation underway. You have to wait outside."

That suggestion didn't fall on sympathetic ears. "Oh, really? Get out of my way! I don't give a damn about your stupid regulations. I'm going to see Neal and you are not the one to stop me!"

Actually, Clinton Jones wasn't worried too much about breaking FBI rules. Instead, he had no clue in what state they had found Caffrey. He wanted to spare Sara the shock of seeing him injured or abused.

Peter decided to help him out of the awkward situation. "Sara, haven't we agreed that you stay at home and out of danger? Well, now that you are here, come in and see for yourself that Mr. Gardener, your freelance consultant, is more or less in one piece."

Truth be told, Caffrey looked worse for the wear. The redhead was shocked to see him bruised and beaten up. She wanted to kiss him, hug him, but he looked as if even the softest touch would hurt him.

Neal's speech was slurred but otherwise, he seemed to be his old cocky self. "Sara, Cupcake, you're a sight for sore eyes, as usual."

Apparently relieved that he had not lost his courage, she found back her belligerent attitude. "Honey Bear, if you dare calling me Cupcake one more time, I'll show you what these martial art lessons I took are good for!"

Of course, Caffrey wasn't cowed at all by her threat and his answer was laced with innuendo. "Ninja-Cupcake! That sounds interesting. You have to show me all the techniques you learned."

He was talking big, yet the effort to keeping up appearances was taking its toll. He dropped with exhaustion to sit on the chair again, the signs of being stressed-out clearly visible to everyone in the room. Fortunately, the paramedics arrived and took over.

Peter didn't like the pale look on Neal's face or the blueish lips. However, he managed to stay calm. While the paramedics examined the injuries and administered first aid, he made sure that the arrested criminals were taken to the police bus. His agents back in Manhattan would take care of the interrogation. Agent Jones managed the transport and would lead the final activities to close the case.

The paramedics were taking the necessary precautions to secure the patient on the stretcher to bring him to the hospital when Agent Burke returned. So far, the first diagnosis attested minor dehydration and hypothermia, superficial wounds, probably one or two cracked ribs, plus a few nasty burns. He needed medical treatment for sure but the injuries were not life-threatening.

Before they started to bring him upstairs into the waiting ambulance, he asked for a moment with Sara. "Regarding the Virgin Rainbow, you wanted me to look for a way to steal it..."

She shushed him. "Don't you worry about that! The gem is safe now. And I'm glad that you are safe as well."

Peter chopped in to calm his friend down. "Sara is right. You don't need to bother about that precious stone. It's kept well protected in the consulate's vault. I talked to them; they put up extra guards. Nothing will happen to the Virgin Rainbow."

Caffrey looked proud and contrite at the same time. "Actually, it's not well protected in the consulate."

Sara was confused. "I don't understand! The FBI arrested the criminals. There will be no heist."

Neal tried to reach into his pockets but failed since he was secured with straps to the stretcher for the transport already and too exhausted for his usual tricks. "You need to help me here... Reach into my pocket!"

All of a sudden, Peter's face took a pained expression. " _No_! You didn't! Tell me you didn't steal the Virgin Rainbow!"

He stared at Sara in disbelief who fetched something out of Neal's pants' pocket and then opened her hand to reveal the sparkling gem.

Peter was obviously gobsmacked. "He took the bloody Virgin Rainbow."

Sara gaped at her boyfriend. "You had the gem in your pocket and didn't say a word? Why all this drama if you could have given them what they were after?"

The FBI agent understood exactly why his friend kept that detail to himself. "As long as they needed him to get the prey, he was safe. Once they'd got hold of it, he'd become a dispensable burden. I get that. But haven't they searched you?"

Neal cracked a lopsided smile. "I guess I was just lucky. They took my wallet and phone but didn't search me. I must have given a convincing impression of a sweet-tempered gem expert from Down Under."

Sara promised to return the Virgin Rainbow to the rightful owner and Caffrey was finally stretchered to the ambulance. Peter followed the ambulance to the hospital in his own car, all along the way trying to wrap his mind around the events of the past few days and how to keep Neal Caffrey's name out of the FBI reports.

It was way past midnight when they arrived at the hospital. The medical examination took a while as well. So, it was 2:30 am before Peter finally talked to a doctor. Josh Gardener had to stay at least a day or two at the hospital. The fractured ribs were close to his lungs. Therefore, he had to take care for a while, no heavy lifting. But all in all, he was alright.

Neal has been brought to a hospital room. He got pain medication and was humming half asleep when his friend checked on him. Next, he started to recite a poem all to himself

I held a Jewel in my fingers -  
And went to sleep -  
The day was warm, and winds were prosy -  
I said "'Twill keep" -

I woke - and chid my honest fingers,  
The Gem was gone -  
And now, an Amethyst remembrance  
Is all I own -

Caffrey noticed that Peter was in the room. "It wasn't an amethyst, you know? Emily Dickinson was sooo wrong. It was an opal, but it's gone now."

Peter Burke sighed. Apparently, Neal was under the influence of the painkillers; more precisely, he was stoned out of his head. Any serious talk would have to wait until tomorrow. Which was okay. In fact, the agent just wanted to see for himself that Caffrey was feeling alright before he went home. "What is this with you and gems that you can't keep your fingers off if you see one?"

Neal beamed. "You must love opals, too. They are opalised fossils. South Australia's inland sea was a breeding ground for plesiosaurs. As poor plesiosaurs died their bodies sank to the bottom of the sea with some of their skeletons eventually becoming opalised fossils. You like dinosaurs. So you have to like this Virgin Rainbow!"

Peter smiled at his friend. "Okay, I like dinosaurs. Just for the records, that's not a reason to steal a precious gem. But now it's time to sleep. No more poems, or stories about gems, or humming. Close your eyes and sleep!"

Neal grumbled protest but closed his eyes to comply with the command. Before he dozed away he opened one eye, looking at Peter. "Thank you for... you know!"

The older man sat down on the uncomfortable chair next to the bed and watched his sleeping ex-consultant. The last few days have been turbulent - which wasn't surprising. Whenever Neal has been around, life has taken a dramatic turn.

All those years ago, when Agent Burke has set his mind on catching the mastermind who forged the Atlantic bonds, he had no idea that the same criminal would become his best friend. The decision to take Neal Caffrey as a consultant was supposed to change the felon's life. But apparently, it changed the agent's life just as much. Now, he was outright glad that the latest adventure turned out well.

Peter understood completely why Neal had staged his death and moved to a different continent. Yet still, he missed being close to him, missed that whirlwind stirring up the daily grind, full of crazy ideas, unpredictable, too smart and bold for his own good, but loyal to the bone.

In French, you don't really say " _I miss you_ ", you say " _Tu me manques_ " which means " _You are missing from me_ ". That's how Peter felt when Neal was an ocean away. Life wasn't complete without the handsome nuisance.

There was a wisdom of the head and a wisdom of the heart. Peter had never had issues with the first. But it was Neal who has taught him the latter.

* * *

AN:  
The story is almost done. One short chapter is yet to come, the epilogue. I hope you like it so far. Somehow, it seems that I my stories are revolving around bringing Peter, Neal and the rest of the team back together. I'm not happy with the idea of them being separated for good.

The Virgin Rainbow is a real thing. Mesmerizing beauty of a gem. However, it's still waiting to be stolen by Neal Caffrey. Just like me ...

The poem Neal recites is from Emily Dickinson. It's called 'I held a Jewel in my fingers'


	6. Epilogue

The night has been short, but nevertheless, Agent Burke entered the office at 9 am sharp. He had to work on the case report, remove the picture the kidnappers had sent from the electronic file and destroy all printouts.

Around noon, he got a call from Washington. It was his former agent, Diana Barrigan. Peter was surprised, yet pleased to take the call. "Hi Diana, how's life in Washington these days?"

They talked every now and then on the phone, even visited each other occasionally. Diana shared some Bureau anecdotes and talked about Teddy who has recently won a baseball tournament with his team. Next, she wanted to know how Peter was doing. "How are you? How is Neal? Is he still undergoing medical treatment?"

Peter was completely taken aback. He couldn't imagine how the news about Neal being back in New York has traveled to Washington so fast. He trusted his agents completely. No one would have leaked this sensitive information. This was not good, not good at all! Accordingly, his reply sounded quite harsh. "Neal? How do you know? We can't discuss this over the phone!"

Diana was startled by that reaction, to put it mildly. "Calm down! El told me about Neal's accident a couple of weeks ago. I'm just wondering if your son's broken arm is on the mend. It's not like I'm asking you to spill Bureau secrets."

Peter heaved a sigh of relief. Diana was talking about his son, not his ex-consultant. "He is still wearing a cast, it was a complicated fracture. Probably, he won't try to climb that tree again for a while."

However, the reason for Diana's call was an official one. "Listen, word made it to Washington that your division thwarted the theft of the Virgin Rainbow and several other precious gems. You seem to be the hero of the day once again. It would have caused some diplomatic hassle if the Australian treasure had been stolen on US ground. Higher ups over here want to have a little ceremony, thanking you, your team, and that Aussie guy who saved the day."

Peter's reaction was less than enthusiastic. "I don't really think that's a good idea. Josh Gardener - the Aussie guy as you called him - is still in the hospital and most likely, he won't be happy about so much attention."

Diana didn't give up the idea so easily. "I didn't mean today or tomorrow. We can do it in a few days. Have a little come together at the exhibition, invite the press. Sparkling stones, injured hero, it would be priceless PR for your division. Aside from that, I'd love to come to see you and New York again. That Virgin Rainbow must be awesome. I'm curious to see it for real."

Peter harrumphed. "I don't know when Josh Gardener is leaving the hospital. It might take a while. I'm sending you a picture so that you'll get an idea of his injuries."

He sent the photo using his private mobile. It didn't take long until he heard the pling announcing an incoming message on Diana's end. "That was fast. Let me see... Oh... That is... I see what you mean..."

There was silence for a long moment before she continued. "He went through a lot. We don't want to put him in the spotlight right now. Still, I like the idea of coming to New York and see the Virgin Rainbow. I can drive over for a quick weekend trip, see how your son is recovering. Neal is really a handful. I can't wait to see him again."

Even though that description fitted both, Neal Burke as well as Neal Caffrey, it was quite clear that she was talking about the grown up man.

And so it happened that old friends traveled to New York from near and far to reunite even if only for a weekend. The greatest gift of life is friendship and it's worth all the effort.


End file.
